AP National News

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A critically endangered Sumatran orangutan in New Orleans has given birth to a healthy male baby, but his twin brother died in the womb. Officials at the Audubon Zoo said in a news release Monday that 12-year-old Menari gave birth to one baby without trouble on Christmas Eve and was mothering

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli authorities say bird flu has killed thousands of migratory cranes and forced farms to kill over 500,000 chickens to contain the outbreak. At least 5,200 cranes, some of the half-million that migrate through Israel on their way to Africa, lie dead in the Hula Valley and officials are struggling to clean

By MANUEL VALDES Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. has brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada, and unseasonable warmth to Texas and the Southeast. Officials on Monday say a Donner Pass record in the Sierra Nevada has been broken

Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia says it is unhappy with the U.S. decision to revoke duty-free access for the East African country’s exports. The statement by Ethiopia’s trade ministry on Monday came after the Biden administration on Dec. 23 terminated Ethiopia’s eligibility for benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The U.S

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says crews wrapping up the removal of a giant pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee found what appears to be a second and long-sought-after time capsule. The governor tweeted photos of a box being removed from

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria has called Israel’s plans to double the number of settlers living in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights “dangerous and unprecedented.” It said on Monday the plans only perpetuate Israel’s occupation of the territory it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China. The government of President Daniel Ortega broke ties with Taiwan this month and recognized China. Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua. But Ortega’s

By ALEX SCHULLER and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Negotiators from Iran and five world powers have resumed negotiations on restoring Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal, with Iran insisting that the United States and its allies promise to allow it to export its crude oil. The latest round of talks in Vienna opened

LONDON (AP) — A British police chief has written to apologize to the family of former professional soccer player Dalian Atkinson who died after a police officer used a stun gun on him and kicked him in the head. Constable Benjamin Monk was convicted of manslaughter in June and sentenced to eight years in prison

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The sister and lawyer of a French tourist jailed in Iran last year say that he has begun a hunger strike to protest against mistreatment in prison. Benjamin Brière was arrested in May 2020 after taking pictures in a desert area where photography is prohibited and asking

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A judge on Monday was scheduled to consider a request from prosecutors to reduce the 110-year prison sentence of a trucker for an explosive crash that killed four people in suburban Denver. The sentence given to Rogel Aguilera-Mederos has drawn outrage from around the country and among truck drivers, with around

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s government has blocked Mother Teresa’s charity from receiving foreign funds, saying the Catholic organization did not meet conditions under local laws, dealing a blow to one of the most prominent groups running shelters for the poor. The Home Ministry says the Missionaries of Charity’s application

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ authorities have released a draft document proposing amendments to the country’s constitution that may allow authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to further cement his grip on power after months of mass protests and remain in office until 2035. The proposed amendments are published on the president’s

By TOM HAYS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A jury in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell has completed three full days of deliberations without a sign that a verdict is near. On Monday, the jury requested multi-colored sticky notes, a white board and some trial transcripts. They also asked for the definition

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Stocks are were higher in muted trading on Wall Street Monday as traders return from the Christmas holiday. The S&P 500 was up 1.1% in afternoon trading, led by more gains in big technology companies like Apple and Nvidia. The benchmark index is coming off its latest record high.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A man charged with fatally shooting two men at a busy restaurant in Kentucky has pleaded not guilty. News outlets report 21-year-old Karson Reitz appeared before a judge Sunday on murder charges in the shooting at the Roosters restaurant on Preston Highway in Louisville. The judge set his bond at $1

By TALI ARBEL AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel stretched into Monday, with major U.S. airlines each canceling dozens of flights. Staffers calling out sick because of COVID-19 have left airlines short in recent days. According to FlightAware, which tracks flight cancellations, airlines have canceled roughly 4,000 flights

By DÉBORA REY and ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — It’s been a year since Argentina legalized elective abortions up to 14 weeks of gestation, and there are disparities in the procedure’s availability. In some jurisdictions around the capital, abortions are easily accessible. In more socially conservative areas, few physicians and medical